Human Factor

                          Human factors training may be provided by either a trainer employed by the organisation or by trainer(s) outside the organisation, although training is likely to be  most effective if it is tailored to the specific needs and problems of one’s own  organisation and the instructor is someone familiar with the needs and problems of  that organisation.  In cases where organisations cannot provide their own in-house training, it is  acceptable to contract out as long as the main trainer has a good background in  aviation maintenance, and meet the criteria mentioned earlier. It is not enough simply  to present a set of slides on the syllabus topics without having adequate knowledge  to illustrate points using practical examples, or to answer questions.                           The quality o...

        TNA should be carried out before any major decisions are made concerning human  factors training.          TNA is a crucial stage in putting together a human factors training  programme, and should not be omitted unless all staff are to receive full training on  all syllabus topics. Even then, a TNA would be a valuable tool in helping to design the  training and tailor it for the needs of the company and its staff.            Who Should Conduct the TNA        The person doing the TNA should have a reasonable level of competence in human   factors, and be aware of the needs of the company and the different roles of its staff. The TNA may either be carried out by one person within the Part-145 organisation, or  jointly between one person from the organisation and a specialist who is familiar with  TNA principles and the practical application o...

                        Good instructors are crucial to effective human factors training, especially where the  emphasis is upon attitude change. Whilst the skills required to impart knowledge are  fairly common across most subjects, whether technical or more esoteric, the skills to  influence people's attitudes and behaviours are different, and are key to successful  human factors training.                       It is essential that the human factors trainer (or facilitator) believes in what they are  teaching, and has enough credibility, enthusiasm and knowledge to pass on this belief  to his students. A good human factors trainer should be able to positively influence  his trainees’ safety behaviour, which, ultimately, should reflect positively upon the  organisation’s safety culture, and even its commercial profitability. ...

         Organisations should have a mechanism for determining competence of staff, not  just with respect to human factors, but for all areas (both technical and non-technical)  in which staff are required to be competent.         Demonstration of competence applies to all staff within an AMO .          Management  competence and human factors competence should be closely linked. A manager  may be highly competent in day-to-day management and making money for the  company, but not particularly supportive of human factors principles and policies,  despite the fact that he understands what they are all about.                        There are many different mechanisms available that may be used as evidence of  competence. These include: Examination - a good mechanism for assessing knowledge, but not necessarily  comp...

                           Training will not be successful in the long term unless what it teaches is supported  within the organisation on a day-to-day basis. Therefore the human factors training  requirement within Part-145 should not be considered in isolation. The training should  be a part of the total package of measures within a Part-145 approved organisation to  assure safety and airworthiness.                           The following stages of implementation should be completed to ensure the success  of the human factors training. Where organisations have already embarked on some  of the stages below, they should give consideration to revisiting earlier stages in case  they have not been covered properly.       a) Genesis. Ensure the person or people responsible for putting in place the human...

            Evidence from incidents and accidents shows that human error and human factors  problems are not limited to 'hands-on' maintenance staff (whether certifying or non certifying),  but may extend to planners, technical records staff, etc.  In addition, it is  often organisational decisions and policies made by managers that are at the root of  some incidents (e.g. to ensure adequate resources).                    Senior management  commitment to, and support of, the company human factors programme is essential  to the success of such programmes.                                        Staff need to be convinced of this commitment  by management.           Managers attending the human factors training themselves is one  way of s...

 OMS contain the following elements: • clearly identified aims and objectives; • demonstrable corporate commitment • corporate encouragement of uninhibited reporting and participation by individuals; • disciplinary policies and boundaries identified and published; • an occurrence investigation process; • the events that will trigger error investigations identified and published; • investigators selected and trained; • OMS education for staff, and training • appropriate action based on investigation findings; • feedback of results to workforce; • analysis of the collective data showing contributing factor trends and frequencies.